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The word chimichurri or chirriburri is attested in 1783 as a person's nickname,[3] but not connected to a sauce.

There are various stories explaining the name as a corruption of English words, most commonly the name 'Jimmy Curry'[4][5] or 'Jimmy McCurry'.[4][6] But there is no contemporary documentation of any of these stories.

The Argentine gourmet Miguel Brascó claims that the word chimichurri originated when the British were captured after the British invasions of the Río de la Plata. The prisoners asked for condiment for their food mixing English, aboriginal and Spanish words. According to this story, che-mi-curry stands for "che mi salsa" (a rough translation is hey give me condiment or give me curry). The word then corrupted to chimichurri.[citation needed]

Another theory for the name of the sauce comes from the Basque settlers that arrived in Argentina as early as the 19th century. According to this theory, the name of the sauce comes from the Basque term tximitxurri, loosely translated as "a mixture of several things in no particular order".[7]

Chimichurri is made from finely chopped parsley, minced garlic, olive oil, oregano, and white or red wine vinegar. Additional flavorings such as paprika, cumin, thyme, lemon, basil, cilantro (coriander leaf) and bay leaf may be included. In its red version, tomato and red bell pepper may also be added. It can also be used as a marinade for grilled meat. Chimichurri is available bottled or dehydrated for preparation by mixing with oil and water. Variants may replace the parsley with herbs such as coriander and culantro.